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SLD Style
Contributions are invited. These pointers are for the curious. Be creative, and if there's a style problem, we can adjust things. The best guide is what is there! Please do not edit these guidelines (beyond spelling/punctuation)! If you have an idea, tell the Originator on the Discussion page. The Basic Style Idea: most pages are written by the Julia/Lezarouth team for their contemporary audience. Pages, like this one, that are obviously not written by them, and are aimed at ordinary speakers of Earthling English, should have the "Annotation Pages" label, by adding directly following the menu template. Basic Facts Language Pointers To keep the somewhat pastoral feel, a few language pointers are offered. * Surnames before given names in Edenic, Hellish, Mishese * Prefer Anglo-Saxon to Latin Words: teeth, guts, wolves, rather than denticles, stomach, lupis. * Prefer lay language to scientific language, even when talking science * Prefer geocentric language: the World defines the system, not the star. "Sun" means the star(s) a world goes around, "star" means the little points of light in the night sky. * Use English measures in Edenic and Hellish. Traditional measures in other worlds. No Metric system. Historical Structure Here is the essential historical framework: Expansion Age 1100 to 742 BR (Before Revelation) * Mostly peaceful: no major interworld wars. * Interworld travel at near light speeds. I.e., elapsed time = lightyears traveled, plus 2 years accelerating and decelerating, plus 5% to 50%. Time shipboard is reduced to 2 years plus 80% to 10% of lightyears traveled. * No psionics, cybertech (machines wired to nervous system) very crude, biotech restricted to minor modifications (no created creatures). * Dominant languages are English, Chinese, Hindu, Arabic, Russian, French and German. Small pockets of other terrestrial languages are permissible. * Interworld trade is minimal, and restricted to speculative free traders. * Earthly crops, bacteria, livestock, pets, and a few pests (rats) spread across worlds, sometimes taking over the new environment, sometimes failing to establish. The Cataclysm 742 to 738 BR (Before the Revelation) * Superluminal speeds possible due to Alcubierre Drive. *All major populated worlds hit with nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and suffer major if not total devastation to structures, population, and environment. * Most marginal worlds (e.g., those with insufficient or toxic atmosphere or extreme weather, causing technological dependence) gradually die out. * Most surviving worlds tend to be at a distance from Earth, sparsely populated, and reasonably conducive to human habitation and agriculture. The Insular Age 737-1 BR * No Interworld travel. * Technology rapidly degrades, varying from Neolithic to simple internal combustion (usually methanol-based) and electric (no electronics or vacuum tubes). Check precedent for world of concern. * Languages and races diverge. * Some "old tech" can be found and used. Nuclear strike sites are still hot. The Latter Days 1-present (188) YR (Year of Revelation) * Psionics discovered *Softech discovered. * Latter-day religion begun, worlds reconnected * Interworld travel by psi-powered machines inducing an Alcubierre wave. * Second wave of expansion and colonization, now spreading the language and creatures of originating world. * The correct identity of Earth is not known. Earth has mythological status. * A small amount of regular interworld travel now occurs. Category:Suns of the Latter Days